Steam-regenerator installation.



' L. L. BATTU.

STEAM BEGENBRATOB INSTALLATION.

APPLIOATIOI TILED OUT. 19, 1912.

Patented May 26, 19m

8 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

VIIIIIl/IIIIIIIIIIIIII- 'IIIIIIIIIlIlIIIIIIIII/II/lIIIl/I WITNE88F8 INVENTOR NI-UIIIA MIA?" 9" Alum E Q UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEONCE L. BATTU, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO RATEAU STEAM REGENERATOR COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

STEAM-BEGENERATOR INSTALLATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1914.

Application filed October 19, 1912. Serial No. 726,612.

To all whom it may concern- Be it known that I, LEONCE L. BA'r'rU, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented Improvements in Steam-Regeuerator Installations, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to steam regenerator installations and has for its object such a combination of rc enerators and regulation thereof as to permit of more efficient utilization of the power of the steam to be regeneratcd.

A steam regenerator is an appparatus for regulating a widely variable ux of steam so as to supply steam to a steam utilizin apparatus in accordance with the nee s thereof quite independently of the amount of steam that is being supplied at any instant by the source of steam supply. Steam regencrators have thus far been ordinarily applied in practical work by receiving tie steam from the exhaust of an intermittently-acting engine, regulating the flux thereof and su )plying steam to a low-pressure, turbine or general power purposes. The efficiency of such rcgencrators involves scvtl'ul factors. As their only function is to save power that will otherwise be wasted, their cfilciency depends upon the relation between their saving of power and their cost of installation and mamtcnance, while they must also be so constructed and arranged as not to suiliciently interfere with the operalion of the intermittently-acting engine or other source of fluctuating steam-flow. In order to reduce the cost of installation and space occupied and maintenance, it is naturally desirable to have as great a pressure range within the regenerator as is permitted by the varying conditions of tie plant. This is because the steam regenerator must have a certain storage capacity, that is, capacity of store the heat of steam in such form that steam may thereafter be delivered. The higher the pressure range the eater, other things being equal, is the heat t iat can be stored in a regenerator of a given size and cost. On the other hand, the operating conditions of the plant as a whole make it necessarv tohave but a small pressure range.

y my invention 1 am enabled to supply regenerators having a lar er pressure range than that falling upon t e intermittentl acting en ine and I efi'ect this result wit 1- out introducing at any time any unusual resistance in the regenerator which would of itself introduce an element of loss. My invention also enables a regenerator installation to be operated if desired with a practically constant pressure of the source of fluctuating steam-flow, whereas in all prior regenerator installations the pressure at the source was permitted to vary substantially, this being necessary because the regenerator installation involved a substantial change of pressure as a necessary factor for the regeneration and was so arran ed that substantially the same change 0 pressure fell as u on the source.

l\' y invention involves a regenerator installation in which there are two regenerators, one having a pressure range equal to that of the source of fluctuating steam, and the other having a wider pressure range, the latter alone supplying steam and being disconnected from the source of supply whenever the pressure on the source falls below a redetermined value. When the pressure is slightly above this value the steam may flow from the source and from the regenerator in permanent connection therewith to the other regenerator through a varyingly throttled passage, but as the pressure rises still further th'ere is a free and unobstructed passage from the source to both regenerators.

My invention, as will be seen more clearly from the more detailed description hereinafter. also comprises more specific features of invention.

Referring to the drawings, the three figures thereof show in a diagrammatic manner three specific forms of my invention.

Referring first to Figure 1, I show at .1 a source of fluctuating steam-flow which may be the exhaust side of an intermittently-actingengine. 2 is a duct or piping connected to the source 1. 3 is a regenerator of the varying steam space type in communication with the source through piping 2 and 4, the open end of which constitutes, in the s ecifically illustrated regenerator, both tie inlet and) the outlet thereof. ii is a regenerator of the water type, or more. broadly, of the condensation type. The regenerator 5 is connected through piping 6 with the steam utilizing apparatus 7 which may be a low-pressure steam turbine connected with condenser 8. As illustrated, the expansible steam space type of regencrator 3 is composed of two cvlhulrical members, the lower member 9 ccntaining water 10 and the upper member 11 movable vertically, its positmn being dependent upon the pressure of the steam therein tending to move the cylinder upward against the weight. of the cylinder which may be adjusted by the weights 12. The weight of the cylinder should be adjusted so that a comparatively small variation of pressure of the steam within the movable cylinder or bell will move the cylinder from its lowest to its highest position. The water 10 in the lower member of the regenerator is provided as a. water seal for the steam but, as shown, has some regenerative action. This form of regenerator, acting as it does practically entirely by varying size of steam space and the slight changes of pressure therein, would be relatively inellicicnt from the standpoint of the great size and space, and therefore, cost, necessary, if it were alone to be relied upon, but in other respects it is an etlicient type of regenerator to the extent of its capacity. Used in accordance with my invention it may be of relatively small capacity. The regenerator 5, as shown in Fig. 1, is of the type in which steam is introduced through numerous perforations within a body of water and is the type that I prefer as aregenerator for most purposes. The steam is supplied to this regenerator through the piping 2 and the perforations 13 into the water 14 of the regenerator. 50 indicates a relief valve which in this instance is placed upon the piping 2 near the source 1. This relief valve determines the maximum pressure that may be develo )ed'in the regenerutors, thus limiting the back-pressure that may fall upon the source 1. 15 is a swinging valve, shown in its open )osition, 1n the piping 2", this valve being placed where it may control the passage of the steam from one regencrator to the other and the passage of steam from the source 1 to the regenerator This valve is controlled in accordance with the pressure of steam on the source 1, closing the duct formed by the piping 3 upon diminution of such pressure to a certain point and gradually opening as the pressure rises above such point. In the present instance, this is effected directly by the movement. of the cylinder 11, the same being connected by chain 10 with the weighted lever 17 secured to the rock shaft 18 which carries the valve 15. Upon decrease of pressure the cylinder falls-gradually permitting the valve to close. by gravity, while upon increase of pressure, the cylinder 11 rises and gradually opens the valve and maintains it in its open position.

To illustrate the operation of my invention, let us assume that. the relief valve 15 is set to open at a pressure of three pounds, which we will assume is one that is not objectionably high. \Ve will assume also that the steam utilizing apparatus 7 can with efficiency operate upon steam delivered from regenerator 5 at any pressure between three pounds above atmosphere and three pounds below atmospheric pressure. ()n the other hand. it is undesirable and interferes with the etiiciency of the installation if a pressure substantially below atmosphere is allowed to fall upon the source 1. Under these circumstances. the cylinder 11 should be so adjusted that upon very slight increase oi the pressure of the steam within the regenerator 3, bell 11 thereof will gradually open valve 15 to permit steam to pass to the regenerator At this or any higher pressure the 'alvc will remain open. Upon a decrease of pressure in the bell to a point just about atmosphere, the bell will gradually close and cut off communication between the regenerators. at the same time cutting oli' communication between the source 1 and the regcnerator While the valve remains open any excess of steam supplied by the source above that necessary to supply the apparatus 7 will mostlv pass into the regenerator 3 until the bell thereof reaches its highest position and then so long as such excess continues the greater part of such excess will pass directly to the regenerator 5 and be condensed therein. A portion of such excess. however, will be taken up in regenerator 3 by the increase of pressure in the large steam space thereof while the bell is at its raised position and to some extent by condensatimi oi steam by contact with the surface of the water 10. it is not at all necessary to have the regenerator 3 of very great capacity the greater part of the absorption of heat from the steam supplied will occur by condensation in the regenerator i), rather than by'storagc of steam in the varying steam space of regenerator 3 and increase of pressure in such space. \Vhen conditions are such as to cause the valve 15 to close the regencrator 5 may continue to supply steam to appm-atus T at a gradually falling pressure, say for example, to three pounds below atmosphere. During this time, which would ordinarily be at times when the source 1 is supplying little or no steam for a substantial period ol time. the source is not subjected to this lown-cssurc. When. however. it has supplied sullleieut steam to fill the large Hit'lllll space oi regenerator 3, the regoaerators are once. more connected together in series and steam from regenerator 3 passes through regenerator to fit) apparatus 7 During such time as the supthe flow of steam in the system and render the operation more uniform. By the relatively small- :apacity regenerator 3, offering no substantial resistance to the steam, I am enabled to equalize the action of the regenerator 5 while making it smaller than would otherwise be necessary for the flux of steam to be regulated, and while maintaining the desired range of )ressurc on the source 1. Or the economy oitained may be partly or wholly a saving of power rather than of cost of rcgcnerator, because with my invention, the. relief valve 50 need not blow oil steam so frequently, nor live steam so frequently be supplied to apparatus 7, as in prior regenerator installations.

It is to be noted that rcgcnerator 5 because of the fact that the steam is introduced under water, introduces a certain resistance to the passage of steam, but this is more than compensated for, where great volumes of steam must be regenerated, by the sim ,licity of the device and economy of installation and maintenance.

As another illustration of the results obtainable by suitable adjustment of the apparatus, let us assume that it is of importance to maintain thepressure on the source 1 practically constant. In this case the bell 11 should be so adjusted that its full movement from top to bottom, and vice versa, will be caused by .variaiion of steam pressure of but a small fluctuation of a pound. For example, if. the safety valve 50 is set at three pounds the bell could be adjusted so that at practically three pounds it would reach its upper position, while at a small fraction of a pound less it would be at. its lowermost position. Under these circumstances, the ran e of pressures in the regenerator 5 might any range thought desirable taking every-' thing into consideration. while the pressure at the source isat all times practically the same, thus permitting the operation of the source under the best possible conditions.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a modification in which I have substituted for the rcgcnerator ii a small rcgcnerator 10 of the same type as the rcgcnerator of Fig. 1. The rcgcnerator It) is connected to the piping 2 leading from the source (not shown) by piping 20 which introduces the steam into water in the rcgcnerator. The outlet 21 of the regenerator is connected by piping 22 with the perforations in the water in the regenerator 5. Corresponding to the'valve of Fig. 1 is the valve 23 controlled by the movement of dia )hragm 24 the )OSltlOll of which is )referably cont-rolled y the pressure wit in rcgcnerator 19, the steam therefrom being led beneath the diaphragm by pipe 25. The steam pressure necessary to raise the diaphragm is determined by the adjustable weight 26 acting on the pivot arm 27 connected at 28 to the diaphragm.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3 I have substituted for the rcgcnerator 1.9 a rcgcnerator 29 of what is known as the tray type in which a series of superposed trays 30 carrying water are placed around a central steam passage 31 in the rcgcnerator. Such a rcgcnerator is fully illustrated and described in detail in patent to Rateau No. (379242. The steam enters through the piping 32 and leaves near the bottom through pipe 33. At 2-H: is shown the valve casing cmitaining the valve 23 controlled as to its opening and closure by the steam pressure in rcgcnerator 29 exactly as in the case of Fig. 2. The type of rcgcnerator illustrated in Fig. 3 is, like the rcgcnerator 3 of Fig. 1, one which offers no substantial resistance to the flow of steam and is a very eflicicnt rcgcnerator if made of sutlicicnt size. As it is not necessary that the rcgcnerator 29 should have anything like the capacity of regenerator 5, this type of rcgcnerator can b advantageously used in connection with my invention. where its expense might be prohibitive if it were relied upon as the main rcgcnerator of the system.

I desire it to be understood that while I have shown several specific embodiments of my invention and have illustrated the same in detail, the principles of my invention as set forth in the appended claims may be embodied without following the precise details illustrated and described of any of the specific cmbodiirents of the drawings.

-Moreover, I have for the same purpose of illustration given specific examples of pressure and adjustments which form no necessary part of my invention. I also point out that I have not attempted to show all the details of regcnerators since these are old and well known and will naturally plied by those skilled in the art.

1 Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a steam rcgcnerator installation, a source of fluctuating steam-flow, a rcgcnerator in commimication therewith, a second rcgcnerator and a steam utilizing apparatus in communication therewith. and n'cssure controlled means for connecting sai regenerators together.

2. In a. steam rcgcnerator installation, a source. of fluctuating steam-flow, a steam utilizing apparatus, a pair of regenerators, one in constant communication with said source and the other in constant communicabc supsteamsup ly-connected tooneregeneratori-la other only as tion with said steam utilizing apparatus, a duct connecting said regenerators, and a pressure controlled valve 1n said duct.

3. In a steam regenerator installation, a source of fluctuating steam-flow, a steamutilizingappara-tus, .a pair of 'regenerators, one in constant communication wit-h said source and the other incons tant' communication wit-h'said steam utilizing apparatus, a duct connecting said regenerators, and a pressure controlled valve in said duct acting to close the same upon diminution of pressure in the system in advance of said valve.

4. In a steam regenerator installation, a pair of steam regenerators, a duct connecting them' in series with each other, and means actuated by diminution of pressure in the first of the regenerators for closing said duct.

5. In a steam regenerator installation, a pair of steam regenerators and means responsive to the pressure changes in one of them for placin them in series at times and shutting 0E communication between them at other times.

(t. In a steam regenerator installation, a pair of steam regenerators and means 1' s onsive to variations of pressure in one of tiiem to connect its outlet to the inletof the other upon increase of said pressure and to close communicationbetween said outlet and inlet'upon decrease of said pressure.

7. In a steam regenerator installation,fa' pair of regenerators, a duct connectin the outlet of one regenerator with the inlet of the other and means for throttling the steam in said duct as the pressure of the steam at said outlet decreases. a

8. In-a.steam regenerator installation, a source of fluctuating steam-flow and a regenerator permanently connected therewith, a steam utilizing apparatus and another regenerator permanently connected therewith," a duct connecting the regenerators together, and means for throttling the steam in said duct upon diminution of steam pressure on said source.

9. In a steam regenerator installation, a pair of regenerators, a source of fluctuating steam supply connected to one regenerator, a steam utilizing apparatus connected to the other regenerator, and automatic means causing said regenerators at times to act together to equalize the fluctuating flow of steam and at other times to act one only to store the steam from said source; and the a delivercr of steam previously stored. a i

10. In a steam"regenerator installation, a" pair of: regenerators, a source of fluctuating steam uti izmg apparatus}connected to t e ator, and neans cont'rolled re' the; ressure-of; steam; at -j'sa d es, to;

act together to equalize the fluctuating flow of steam and at other times to not one only to store the steam from said source and the other only as a delivercr of steam previously stored.

11. In a steam regenerator installation, a source of fluctuating steam-flow, a steam utilizing apparatus, a pair of regenerators, and means adapting said regenerators at times simultaneously to store the heat of steam from said source and at times to simultaneously draw upon such stored heat to supply steam to said steam utilizing apparatus, and to act at' other times, one exclusively for storing such heat and the other exclusively for supplying steam to said apparatus.

12. In a steam regenerator installation, a source of fluctuating steam-flow, a steam utilizing apparatus, a pair of regenerators, piping connecting said source, regenerators and apparatus and adapting said regenerators at times simultaneously to store the heat of steam from said source and at times to simultaneously draw upon such stored heat to supply steam to said steam utilizing apparatus, and pressure controlled means in said piping adapted to cause said regenerators to aetat-times, one exclusively for storing such heat and the other exclusively for supplying steam to said apparatus.

13.- In a steam regenerator installation, a sourceof fluctuating steam-flow, a steam utilizing apparatus, a pair of regenerators, piping connecting said source, regenerators amt-apparatus and adapting-said regenerators at timessimultaneously to store the heat of steam from said-source and at times tov simultaneously draw upon such stored heat-to supply steam to said steam-utilizing apparatus,"andmeans acting responsively to a diminution 'of steam pressure on said source to cause said re 'enerators to act at times, one exclusively f dr storing heat and the other exclusively for supplying steam to said a paratus.

14;" n a steam regenerator installation, a sourcej'of fluetuatingsteam, a regenerator "connected thereto having a passage for ;the

steam from inlet tostea'm space that afi'ords no substantial resistance to the flow of steam, a second regenerator having ,.a' substantial water resistance between its inlet and steam space, a passage connecting said regenerators and means for closing said passage responsive to decrease of the pressure of the steam from. the said'source.

'15. In a steam regenerator installation, a source of'fluctuating steam, a regenerator conneetedthereto having a passage for the steam-from'inlet' to steam space that afi'ords no substantial resistance to the flow of steam, at second regenerator having a substantial water resis'tancebetween its inlet and "steam spaceandmeans adaptin'g'said regenerators to act at times together to receive or to deliver previously received steam and at other times one to receive only and the other to deliver only.

16. In a steam regenerator installation, a source of fluctuating steam, a regenerator connected thereto having a passage for the steam from inlet to steam space that afl'ords no substantial resistance to the flow of steam, a second regencrator having a substantial water resistance between its inlet and steam space, pipin adapting said regenerators to act togetier to receive and deliver steam and means acting upon diminution of pressure of the steam sup ly to cause one to receive only and the other to deliver only.

17. In a steam regenerator installation, a source of fluctuating steam, a regenerator of the variable steam space type connected thereto, a regenerator of the condensation type, a passage connecting said regenerators and means for closing said passage responsive to decrease of the pressure of the steam from said source.

18. In a steam regenerator installation, a source of fluctuating steam, a regenerator of the variable steam space type connected thereto, a regenerator of the condensation type and means adapting said regcnerators to act at times together to receive or to deliver previously received steam and at other times one to receive only and the other to deliver only.

19. In a steam regenerator installation, a source of fluctuating steam, a regenerator of the variable steam space type connected thereto, a regencrator of the condensation type, piping adapting said regcnerators to act together to receive and deliver steam and means acting upon diminution of pressure of the steam supply to cause one to receive only and the other to deliver onl 20. In a steam regenerator installation, a regenerator of the variable steam space type a regenerator of the condensation type, an means for placin said regcnerators in series with each 0t ier as to their delivery of steam.

21. In a steam regencrator installation, a source of fluctuating steam supply, a regenerator, a duct adapted to connect the two, and means for throttlin the steam in said duct as the pressure of tie steam from said source decreases.

22. In a steam regenerator installation, the combination of a source of fluctuating steam supply, a regenerator in communication with said source, a second regenerator, steam-utilizing apparatus in communication with said second regenerator, means whereby said regencrators may be connected together and means responsive to increase in the rate of fluctuating steam supply for connecting said regcnerators with each other and vice versa, whereby the range of pressure of said fluctuating supply and that of the steam space of said second regenerator are independent of each other.

23. In a regenerator installation, the combination of a source of fluctuating steam supply, a regenerator adapted to receive steam from said source at all times, steamutilizing apparatus, a second regenerator adapted to supply steam to said apparatus at all times, a passage connecting said regenerators with each other and pressure controlled means in said passage whereby when the rate of steam from said source is below a predetermined point said first-mentioned regenerator only is connected with said source, and when said rate of steam reaches said predetermined point said regcnerators are connected together.

24. In a steam regenerator installation, the combination of a source of fluctuating steam supply, two regcnerators, steam-utilizing apparatus and connections therefor and means in said connections whereby said source is connected directly to one regenerator when its rate of supply is low, and to both rcgenerators when its rate of supply is high whcreby the range of back-pressure on said source is less than the range of )I'OBSUI'O on said utilizin apparatus.

n testimony whereof, I iavo signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEONCE L. BATTU.

IVitncsses C. T. BROOKS, E. W. 'laownmnea.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 0. 

